Book and Film Reviews

I wrote yesterday about the concept of the Adjacent Possible, featured in Steven Johnson’s new book, “Where Good Ideas Come From”. I’ve thought for the past 24 hours about how I may have encountered the effect of this idea in my own attempts to move innovative ideas through our local school district. A few years … Continue reading →

As I was driving through town today, I heard the beginning of an interview with Steven Johnson, author of the newly-released book, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. I would have heard the entire interview if I hadn’t pulled into my local bookstore and snapped up the last copy! I’ve been … Continue reading →

Earlier this week I watched Waiting for Superman in a mostly empty theater. While it would have been great if the movie took a broader view of the diverse efforts and theories of reformers past and present, I did not leave upset at Guggenheim or any of the reformers in the film. I was crying … Continue reading →

This past week I watched The Blind Side. Despite my resistance to watching it and my usual dislike for Sandra Bullock movies, this was a good story and a movie worth watching. The story of Michael Ohr’s life is told from being removed from his drug-addicted mother, placed in foster homes, couch surfing, road wandering, … Continue reading →

In Wounded by School, Kirsten Olson validates the experiences we have all had. Whether that’s the formation of a self-image that we are incapable or stupid, reflecting the narrow and inflexible curriculum of public schools; or the dulling of our senses and joy for learning as we do rote memorization in order to regurgitate on … Continue reading →

That’s a sincere question. I’m wondering if any of us escape from our at least 10 years of schooling unscathed? For this week’s blog, we all agreed to read the book Wounded By School by Kirsten Olsen and write about it. The author says, in the introduction, “Because of school’s long, powerful presence in our … Continue reading →

“But this study makes a critical dilemma for teachers more clear. Teachers who saw the act of learning as highly complex and non-routine experienced more uncertainty as they approached their teaching tasks than teachers who saw learning as relatively straightforward (168).” – Kirsten Oslson, Wounded By School In Wounded By School, Kirsten Olson makes education … Continue reading →